My husband and I share a small but comfortable house with our two children and my mother-in-law (MIL). Our oldest child is a toddler boy who just turned two, and we also have a six-month-old daughter who is starting to babble and show her first real expressions of personality. My mother-in-law has been living with us for over a year, ever since she lost her own home in a financial crisis.

At first, I thought it would be nice to have her around. I believed our children would benefit from having a grandmother close by. After all, grandparents can provide extra love and attention, and they usually enjoy cuddling the little ones. But my six-month-old daughter, Ellie, started showing signs of discomfort whenever her grandmother was near. I noticed that Ellie would smile and grin at my MIL—like babies often do, wanting attention—yet my MIL rarely smiled back. She mostly kept a blank face or, sometimes, she even frowned as though Ellie bothered her.

After my maternity leave ended, I had to return to my job. My husband works from home, so we decided he would manage his work schedule while also caring for both kids. I usually left around seven in the morning and got back around five in the evening. My MIL said she had no interest in babysitting, so she spent her time watching TV in her room or going out with her friends. That was fine, or so I thought, because I trusted my husband to handle everything.

At first, everything seemed okay. The toddler, James, would play in the living room while my husband answered calls for his job. Baby Ellie would nap in her crib or watch her brother run around. However, as the weeks went by, I noticed that Ellie began having issues with her feedings. She would cry and refuse to eat the way she used to. Sometimes, when I got home, I would find her fussing, with dried tears on her cheeks as though she had been upset for a while. My husband always insisted everything was fine, saying maybe she was teething or getting a cold.

But I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Ellie’s weight gain started to slow down, and she seemed to be more anxious. Whenever she spotted my MIL, her little face would scrunch up, almost as if she recognized that her grandmother was not friendly. My MIL, meanwhile, pretended not to notice. Sometimes, I saw her roll her eyes if Ellie cried, but she never offered any help or comfort.

One day, after coming home from work and finding Ellie crying again, my husband shrugged and said, “I guess she’s just having a bad day.” That answer felt so unsatisfying. My instincts were screaming that something was wrong in the house, and I wanted to find out what it was. I felt guilty even considering that my husband wasn’t telling me the whole truth, or that my MIL might be doing something mean. But I could not dismiss the worry that kept building in my heart.

Finally, I decided to put a small secret recorder in the living room. It was hidden in a corner on a shelf, near some books, so nobody would notice it. My idea was to record the day’s events so that I could see if anything unusual was happening when I wasn’t there. I felt torn about this plan because I didn’t want to invade my husband’s privacy, but I also wanted to protect Ellie.

The next day, I left for work as usual. I tried not to act suspicious. When I returned that evening, I rushed to check the recorder. My husband seemed tired, but he didn’t mention anything. After dinner and putting the kids to bed, I played the recording in our bedroom with headphones so nobody else could hear. What I saw made my blood boil.

That particular day, my husband had an important video call for work, so he set baby Ellie in her high chair with some soft foods to eat and a sippy cup of water. Then he stepped out of the camera’s view to go to his desk. Ellie started fussing, probably wanting more attention. My MIL walked by and gave Ellie a nasty look. When Ellie kept crying, my MIL stomped over and started muttering something under her breath. I leaned closer to hear. She was scolding Ellie for crying, telling her to “shut up” and calling her a “brat.” Then she reached down and snatched the sippy cup away, leaving Ellie with no water. She went to the kitchen and simply placed the cup on the counter, out of Ellie’s reach.

Ellie cried louder, and that’s when my MIL did something worse. She looked around to see if anyone was watching, then quietly pinched Ellie’s arm, making the baby scream in pain. My MIL whispered, “Stop that noise,” and scowled. Ellie kept wailing, tears running down her cheeks, but my MIL walked away, leaving the baby alone and in distress.

Meanwhile, my husband was focused on his work call in the other room, unaware of what was happening. After several minutes, he finally came back to check on Ellie. By then, my MIL was gone. She had disappeared into her room and shut the door. When he saw Ellie crying, he tried to calm her by offering her the cup again. He had no idea why she was so upset.

I felt my anger grow inside me. How could my MIL be so cruel to a defenseless baby? No wonder Ellie was not eating normally—she was being mistreated and scared whenever my husband wasn’t looking. I immediately marched to my MIL’s bedroom and demanded she explain herself. She tried to deny everything, but then I told her I had seen the recording. Her face turned pale. Before she could say another word, I told her to pack up and get out of my house.

My husband was shocked when I showed him the recording. He felt guilty for not noticing his mother’s behavior earlier. The next day, my MIL moved out, and she hasn’t been back since. We changed our locks to make sure she could not just walk in. My husband and I also made a plan to have someone else help watch Ellie when he is busy with work. The atmosphere in our home is now calmer. Ellie’s feeding improved within days, and she no longer looks scared.

Even though I feel relieved, I also feel sadness that it had to come to this. Family should be a place of love and safety, not harm. I wish my MIL had shown kindness instead of cruelty. But I can’t take back what happened; I can only protect my children now.

So, here is my question: if you found out a family member was secretly hurting your child, would you give them a chance to change, or would you cut them out of your life right away?